2013-23196. Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, DoD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES:

Consideration will be given to all comments received by November 25, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 4800 Mark Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, 3010 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3010, or call at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Application for Homeowners Assistance; DD form 1607; OMB Control Number 0704-0463.

Needs and Uses: The Department plans to expand its Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP), with $555 million in Recovery Act funds dedicated to helping military families and DoD civilians who recently sold their homes at a loss. The expanded program will assist families forced to relocate due to base closures or normal assignment rotations. But, the most important aspect is that priority access to the funds will go to survivors of those killed during deployment, and those who were wounded, ill or injured during deployment.

Affected Public: Individuals or Households

Annual Burden Hours: 17,000 hours

Number of Respondents: 17,000

Responses Per Respondent: 1

Average Burden per Response: 1 hour

Frequency: On Occasion

The Secretary of Defense is authorized to provide financial help to eligible homeowners serving or employed at or near military installations which were ordered closed or partially closed, realigned or were ordered to reduce the scope of operations. The Department of the Army acts as executive agent for DoD in administering the program for all military departments. Before benefits can be paid, certain conditions must be met. Eligible homeowners use the DD Form 1607, “Application for Homeowners

Assistance” to apply. The application is reviewed by a department personnel office, military or civilian, for verification of service or employment and mailed to the appropriate office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which administers the program. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will notify the applicant.

It is the objective of the Department of Defense to assure that all applications for assistance under this program are given full consideration and that benefits under the program are extended to all homeowners who are entitled to assistance in accordance with applicable policies and procedures. This request has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency approval. Any comments received on this notice will be addressed in a subsequent information collection package to be submitted to OMB under regular processing timeframes.

Dated: September 19, 2013,

Aaron Siegel,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.